Exercise or loss of innocence?

I was flicking through The Daily Telegraph recently and was quite shocked to read that children as young as seven years of age are now participating in pole dancing as a form / means of exercise. It appears that the innocent days of kids taking swimming lessons, competing in athletics or just kicking a ball around the backyard for fitness are now a thing of the past.

The specific article that I am referring to was called “Class poles apart: Porn industry backs lessons for 7 year-olds.” It stated that “children as young as seven are being enrolled in pole dancing classes, ostensibly for health reasons”. The article also mentioned some of the benefits of pole dancing, including that it helps to build strength and flexibility. Well that may be true but guess what, you can get the same benefits from joining a frigging ballet class or doing some good old fashioned yoga!

I think it's really disgraceful to market pole dancing dressed up as exercise classes to young children. There are plenty of other ways to get fit without doing it in a sleazy and provocative way. I know I was certainly able to keep fit and healthy as a child by participating in a range of different sports, including: swimming, tennis, athletics, softball, netball, sailing, nippers at my local beach, ballet, jazz, oh and also just getting off my butt and running around the school playground and my backyard. I guess I was just lucky though to have been brought up by loving parents who wanted me to have a normal, happy, innocent and pole dancing free childhood!

Body dysmorphia expert Dr Roberta Honigman also stated within the article that the problem is “that the child is involved in something that she may well not understand the implications of because of her age and lack of maturity.” This was evident in a statement made by an 11 year old girl identified only as “Angela”, who said she benefited from doing some classes. “It’s really fun and you get to learn a lot of different moves,” she said. “People thinks it’s pole dancing but it’s not (Oh God she really has no idea does she!). It’s great exercise.” Well I hate to break it to you sweetheart but that’s exactly what you’re doing - dancing, bumping and grinding around a pole are all of the ingredients that make up the pole dancing dish! Clearly this girl has no idea that her favourite new hobby has sexual overtones that are connected to the adult sex world.

(11 year old "Angela" participating in a pole dancing class.)

Ms Patten, the Eros Association CEO also commented on the issue saying it was “morally neutral”. Haha, that’s hilarious! All I can say is where are her morals? Clearly she doesn’t have any! By making these classes acceptable kids will start to think that this behaviour is perfectly normal. I actually feel sorry for these kids because they may look back one day in disgust when they realise what their favourite childhood activity was associated with.

There was also one comment in particular, that stated the reality of this situation and how children should not be participate in this activity. Kelly Piper from Engadine wrote: “The concerts held at the end of each term are attended by family and friends. It becomes very uncomfortable for the males in the audience (usually fathers and partners) when the bumping and grinding comes into the routine. Putting girls as young as seven into this situation is simply wrong.”

All I can say is that if pole dancing, mini skirts, make-up and padded bras are now the latest craze for 8 year olds, I honestly don’t want to think of what’s going to be next! It’s all pretty cringe worthy!!! Some people may think that I’m purely in denial about how the kids of today are growing up faster then ever, but I couldn’t agree with them more. I know I would’ve grown up a bit faster then my parent’s generation, and their parent’s generation, etc, it’s only natural, but I think that things are getting a bit out of hand. Where do we draw the line, it’s a rather big leap to go from playing make believe out in the backyard cubby house one minute, to learning how to bump and grind like a scantily clad adult pole dancer the next! The lines between childhood and adult life just seem to be getting extremely blurry these days. If pole dancing becomes acceptable / ‘the norm’ for 7-11 year olds, I hate to think of what the future has install for the next generation of kiddies!

I also think that the parents of these kids need to get them away from whatever the hell they are watching which makes this dancing style known to them in the first place. I blame such trash as Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” video clip. (Note to Britney: You’ve lost the sex appeal you possessed in such clips as: “Toxic”, “I’m a Slave 4 U”, “Stronger”, etc, everything that was basically in your pre total whore phase. I say put your knickers back on, get out of Hollywood, clean up your act, get a stylist who actually has some idea of what they’re doing, leave the pole dancing to the professionals because you just look lost and ridiculous doing it, and start writing some half decent songs again! [Oh and just in case any of you are wondering, I’m actually not a Britney hater. I was definitely a fan until her K-Fed phase which ultimately led to the mess she’s in now.]) Teenagers and kids in particular these days, see celebrities such as Britney, as role models and they often wish to emulate them. Thus Brit’s clip is probably responsible for attracting half of these new (very young and often very impressionable) recruits to join up at the local pole dancing class! I say ban it from children’s viewing hours / programs that kids watch (eg: Video Hits on Saturday and Sunday mornings – Channel Ten).

(Britney Spears pole dancing in her video clip for "Gimme More".)

Before I wrap things up, I would also like to clarify the fact that I’m not writing to condemn pole dancing or the adult sex industry. If people want to get involved with all of that then that’s their own choice ... not sure I could go down that particular path myself, but good luck to them. I think its fine for older teenagers and adults to do because they understand the implications of what they are doing. I’m sure a number of my peers wouldn’t mind giving a class a go for a bit of a laugh or to impress their ‘other half’ but unlike these kids, they are actually adults and can make their own fully informed decision on this issue!

My final thoughts on this topic: let’s just let kids be kids, instead of making them grow up so fast! The reality is that until like Peter Pan up in good old Neverland (or possibly being held captive somewhere in Whacko Jacko’s theme park), they’ve got the rest of their lives to be adults! Enough said!